Folk knowledge of language has not engaged linguists very often in the history of that field. Introductory texts often disparage folkbelief in contrast to 'scientific truth.' In fact, language is a ubiquitous topic of discussion and general concern of the folk. They talk about grammar, pronunciation, first and second language learning, language disabilities, dialects, gender and language, and a host of other topics.This book approaches such beliefs as one of most important aspects of ethnography. Surely what a people believe about their language is as important as any other key to an understanding of their culture. "This fascinating book investigates how non-linguists think and talk about language, an area overlooked by linguists, as the authors show."Joseph Salmons in DiachronicaFROM THE CONTENTS1. IntroductionBackgroundMethodology and fieldwork2. RegionalismA survey of earlier studiesConversational evidence3. Social factorsEthnicityStatusStyle, slang, register, and tabooGender4. Language acquisition and applied linguisticsFirst language acquisitionLanguage and educationSecond language acquisition5. General and descriptive linguisticsPhonologyLexiconSyntax6. The last wordsMetalanguage 1Metalanguage 2The discourse prospect